STERLING, Mass. (AP) — A worker was killed Thursday morning after a portion of a rock ledge collapsed onto an excavator with the worker inside, burying it under rocks and boulders at a quarry site in Massachusetts.
Firefighters and other rescue agencies responded to the scene. Crews used camera equipment to assess the scene of the collapse and found no signs of life, according to fire officials in Sterling, about 40 miles (64 kilometers) west of Boston.
The worker was pronounced dead at 8:39 a.m. The worker’s identity was not immediately released.
The U.S. Department of Labor Mine Safety and Health Administration is currently inspecting the site to determine the safety of moving forward with retrieval efforts at this time, local fire officials said.
The Sterling Fire Department posted online that it and other agencies were working at the scene off Chocksett Road, where the quarry was located.
“Please avoid the area. There is no safety threat to the public,” the department said.
Onyx Corporation, a demolition and excavation company that operates a quarry site on Chocksett Road, posted online that it has closed all locations from Thursday through the weekend, saying it will resume business on Monday.
The company issued a statement later Monday saying “our hearts go out to the family of our longtime employee and friend who was killed in a tragic accident this morning at our Sterling Sand and Gravel pit.”
“He was operating an excavator within the safety zone of a 100-foot ledge face when the wall collapsed; we are not releasing his name pending notification of next of kin,” the statement continued.
The company said the Mining Safety and Health Administration had been at the facility as recently as Tuesday for a company-requested inspection due to expanded operations.
In February 2018, Onyx announced its new quarry location on Chocksett Road.
“Whether you be a small landscaper or heavy civil contractor, we have the locations and expertise to provide you with all your sand or aggregate needs,” the company posted online at the time.
The company posted in January that it transforms hunks of rocks into aggregate materials that are used for roads, drainage, retaining walls, and other infrastructure.
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